Al Tawasol
Mix it in with Arabic salad and a dollop of roup – essentially a runny yoghurt mixed with cucumber chunks – and you’ve got a splendid dinner awaiting you 1 Reviews
From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2007
Yemen is the best-kept secret in the Gulf. Rolling mountains, ancient cities, and some truly stunning architecture make this a wild and beautiful country with a treasure trove of discoveries awaiting the intrepid explorer. Al Tawasol restaurant isn’t quite as breathtaking as Sana’a, but it’s a good place to try simple Yemeni food.
If you’ve done some research prior to your visit, you’ll be aware of two facts: that chewing qat – a hallucinogenic plant – is a popular Yemeni pastime; and secondly that the national dish is saltah, a stew-like concoction of meat, eggs, onion and potato. They don’t sell either at Al Tawasol, but they do have mandi: comprising lamb or chicken and rice, it doesn’t exactly reinvent the Arabic cuisine wheel, but it is tasty and the meat is wonderfully tender – probably because the chefs know a thing or two about how to marinate a piece of meat. Mix it in with Arabic salad and a dollop of roup – essentially a runny yoghurt mixed with cucumber chunks – and you’ve got a splendid dinner awaiting you.
The food is only half the fun. The main dining area is a large carpeted section where patrons sit cross-legged on the floor eating from large metal trays with their hands. If you’re feeling shy and you’re in mixed gender company, you can opt for the privacy of the tented family area at the back. And there you can wash your Yemeni meal down with a cup of sweet mint tea while planning your next holiday to this most bewitching corner of Arabia.
- Previous reviews
-
- E-mail:
-
- Print:
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
Dhs 1-50
Dhs 50-200
Dhs 200-350
Dhs 350-500
Dhs 500+
